Speak Up
by dooby22
Summary: It has been one year since Starlight Glimmer graduated and ventured out on her own to teach others the friendship lessons she learned as Princess Twilight's personal student. Now, unexpectedly, she's coming back to Ponyville for a visit, and everypony is excited about it. Well, everypony that is, except Spike. He doesn't like Starlight Glimmer. Never has, never will. But why?
1. Twilight's Announcement

Speak Up

Chapter 1

For what felt like the umpteenth time in a row that day, Spike cast an anxious glance over at the clock on the wall opposite him. He realized that very little time had passed since the last time he had looked at it, and he sighed, drumming his claws onto the desk, one after the other like an arpeggio. Funnily enough, the drumming created two things: a distraction from the clock and a rhythmic beat in common time. He soon found himself tapping his foot and bobbing his head along with the beat of his claws. Even so, this did little to improve his mood. He let out an annoyed sigh, his eyes once again meeting the face of the clock. Only a total of twenty seconds had passed by since he'd last checked it.

"Spike?"

He looked upon his name being called to meet the eyes of Miss Cheerilee. A look of concern was on her face. "Yeah?"

"Where is your partner?" Miss Cheerilee asked. "You only have a few minutes left to sign up."

"She'll be here, she'll be here," Spike said. _Come on, Trixie, you're killing me here_. He gave an irritated look at the schoolhouse door, silently hoping that at any moment Trixie would come waltzing through it. He sighed yet again when no such thing occurred, folding his arms on top of the desk he sat at and resting his chin atop them, a bored look coming across his face.

Both parties jumped, however, as the door to the schoolhouse suddenly burst opened, and entered The Great and Powerful Trixie. She gave galloping in the room, running past where Spike sat and coming to a screeching halt beside Miss Cheerilee's desk. Her breathing was irregular. She took a big inhale of air, an idication that she was out of breath, most likely due to her having sprinted from Twilight's castle all the way to the schoolhouse without stopping. It took her more than a minute or so to get her breathing under control. She swallowed another gulp of air before finding the ability to speak. "The . . . Great and Power . .. Powerful Trixe . . . has . . . arrived," she stated, still panting.

Miss Cheerilee fixed the mare with a questioning look. "And you are?"

"His . . . partner . . ." Trixie replied, pointing to Spike.

"Ah, wonderful!" Miss Cheerilee thrust a clipboard towards Trixie. "Sign here, please."

With her magic, Trixie grabbed the pen and signed both her and Spike's names onto the sign-up sheet.

"What's the name of your cart?" Miss Cheerilee asked.

"The Mauve Avenger," Spike spoke up.

"The Mauve Avenger?" Trixie cried incredulously, turning to look at him. "No, no, no, no. Fat chance of that. We are not calling our cart The Mauve Avenger. We are calling it The Dark Storm?"

Spike glowered. "The Mauve Avenger," he insisted.

Trixie gritted her teeth, planting her forehooves on top of the desk that Spike sat in, leaning forward, glaring at him. "The Dark Storm."

Spike leaned forward as well until his nose touched Trixie's. "The Mauve Avenger!"

Trixie slammed a hoof against the desk, causing it to jolt, tipping forward. "The Dark Storm!"

"I could just . . ." Miss Cheerilee said.

"It's my cart and I say we're calling it The Mauve Avenger!" Spike cried.

"Yeah? Well, Trixie is older, so Trixie gets the final say, and Trixie says we're calling it The Dark Storm and that's all there is to it!" Trixie yelled.

"I'll, um, just leave that blank for now," Miss Cheerilee said, giving the pair a nervous smile. She nodded to Spike. "You can go now."

Still glaring daggers at each other, Spike and Trixie made their way out of the schoolhouse and began heading towards home.

Spike and Trixie were still arguing about the name of their cart by the time dinner rolled around. They finally settled down once Twilight called them to the table. They still scowled at one another even as they fixed their plates. Twilight, having picked up on this, gave the two a worried look. "Um, guys, is there something I should know about?"

With his eyes locked on Trixie, Spike growled through gritted teeth, "Nope."

"Trixie is good," Trixie replied, not taking her eyes off Spike.

Twilight swallowed. "Um . . . okay." She coughed into her hoof and finished fixing her plate. "In that case, I have some exciting news." She flicked back her mane with a hoof, a smile coming across her face. "You guys remember my student, Starlight Glimmer, don't you?" Both Spike and Trixie finally took their eyes off each other to meet her gaze, their scowls disappearing entirely.

"Yeah," Trixie said. "Trixie remembers her." She smiled. "How could Trixie not? Starlight was here for a long time. She was Trixie's first real friend. She only left a year or so ago. Didn't she go back to her old vilalge?" Twilight nodded. "Why are you bringing her up, anyway?"

Twilight beamed. "She's coming to visit in a couple of days."

Spike, about to take a bite of food, dropped his fork, his eyes going wide and his jaw dropping open. "She is?" he asked.

Twilight nodded. "Mm-hmm, so I'm going to need some help getting this place cleaned up. Her old bedroom could use some straightening up, too."

Trixie sighed and rolled her eyes. "If Trixie must, then fine."

Spike nodded. "I guess I could help out. Not like I have anything better to do."

Twilight blinked in surprise at that. "Don't you have the annual Applewood Derby coming up? You should be working on your cart, shouldn't you?"

Spike's scowl returned and he turned his head in Trixie's direction. "Well, I would if it weren't for somepony."

Trixie returned Spike's glare with one of her own. "For the last time, we are naming it The Dark Storm and that's final!"

"It's The Mauve Avenger," Spike snapped, clenching a fist and slamming it down on the table, making the utensils and plates rattle.

"I have an idea," Twilight spoke up. "How about a compromise? Why not call it The Dark Avenger?" Both Trixie and Spike looked at her as if she'd gone mad.

"Twilight," Spike said in a deadpanned tone, "we are not calling my cart The Dark Avenger."

"It's our cart, lizard lips," Trixie said. "Why don't we call it The Mauve Storm?"

"I'm a dragon! And that sounds even worse!"

"Enough!" Slamming both hooves down on the table, Twilight stood up, sneering at them both. "Either you two learn to work together or I'm not letting either one of you compete in the race! I'm not going to put up with this racket for the whole time that Starlight is here! Understood!?" Both Spike and Trixie nodded.

"Twilight's right, Spike." Trixie suddenly hooked a foreleg around Spike's neck, Spike wincing as she did so, pulling him close and giving him a noogie. "We shouldn't be fighting." She giggled and let out an excited squeal. "Ooh, I can't wait to see Starlight again! It's been so long since we last saw each other. Keeping in touch with her via letters was great and all, but this will be the first time we get to hang out again in over a year!"

Twilight grinned as well. "I'm excited, too. I can't wait to hear all about how much progress she's made in her friendship studies."

"How was your day?" Spike asked Twilight. "My day was great, aside from a few hiccups." He sneered at Trixie.

Trixie sputtered her lips and waved a hoof dismissively. "Oh, are you still on about that stupid fight we had earlier? No wonder you're in such a foul mood. Don't let that silly, petty argument get you down." She leaned forward, nuzzling against Spike's cheek. "Twilight's right. If we work together, I'm sure we can come up with a solution."

"Well, alright, then," Twilight said cleared her throat, then proceeded to go into an hour-long spiel about how her day had gone, while Trixie and Spike listened with rapt attention.


	2. Starlight Arrives

Chapter 2

Twilight ran Trixie and Spike ragged getting the castle set up for Starlight's visit. While Spike was to to sweep and mop the floors and prepare the food, Trixie was in charge of straightening up Starlight's old bedroom. Though, there wasn't a whole lot to do in this regard, largely in part of the fact that Starlight's room had remained untouched since she'd first ventured out on her own, which may have been a problem in hindsight seeing as how almost everything within the room was coated in a fine layer of dust and dirt. There were even a few cobwebs strung out in the corners of the ceiling. Trixie was able to get rid of these with the pink feather duster that Spike seemed to be so fond of. Even when Spike was helping Trixie clean Starlight's room via vacuuming the floor, the two of them still found time to argue regarding the name of their cart. They had thankfully come to a compromise, but were now arguing about whether the name should be The Mauve Storm or The Dark Avenger. Spike insisted that The Dark Avenger sounded cooler than The Mauve Storm, while Trixie had the complete opposite opinion. She insisted that The Mauve Storm alluded to mystery and intrigue, whereas The Dark Avenger sounded like some kind of superhero out of, as she put it, "some lame comic book."

Spike let out an angry growl, throwing up his hands in frustration. "You're impossible, you know that!?"

Trixie chuckled. "And that's why you love me, Spikey-wikey." She leaned forward and nuzzled her cheek against his. Spike shoved her away.

Trixie's expression hardened. She cast an aggravated look around them, then fixed her glare on Spike. "You seem to be done in here, so why don't you be a good little dragon and finish the hallway?" She motioned for him to head out the door.

Spike snorted. "Gladly." He grabbed his broom and walked out.

Sighing, Trixie went back to removing the sheets and comforter from Starlight's bed, figuring that the linens needed washing. She couldn't even remember the last time they had been washed. She recoiled in disgust just thinking about it. Even if she wasn't Rarity, she still had some standards when it came to cleanliness. Levitating the sheets behind her, she began making her way towards the laundry room.

While Trixie was busy washing Starlight's bed sheets, Spike figured he might as well get busy preparing the food for Starlight's visit. He found a roll of parchment resting on the counter near the stove. He looked at it with a dull expression at first, only for his eyes to widen in horror as the parchment began to unroll, dropping to the floor and rolling out the kitchen door. His eye twitched. "She's got to be kidding," he mumbled. "She wants me to make all of this!?" Hearing a chuckle, he whipped his head around to see Twilight walking in the kitchen, donning a chef's hat and apron, both of which were so white that they temporarily blinded Spike.

"Don't worry, Spike," she said, "I'm here to help."

He raised an eyebrow, a smirk coming across his face. "I don't know. You in the kitchen cooking? Sounds like a bad idea to me."

"Hey!" She playfully shoved him. She walked over to the stove and studied it closely, rubbing her chin in thought. "Now, uh, how do you turn this thing on?"

While Twilight fiddled with the switches and knobs on the stove, Spike, against his better judgment, studied the list in his hands. "You really want to make all of this?" he asked. He looked up at Twilight.

"Mm-hmm. Those are all of Starlight's favorite dishes – whoa!" She suddenly leaped up, having pressed a switch that resulted in one of the burners igniting to life, nearly singeing her mane in the process. She hastily turned the burner off and gave Spike a pleading look. "Perhaps you could be of some assistance."

Smiling, Spike rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Alright, I think it's time you took some courses in cooking. First thing's first . . ."

All three occupants of Twilight's castle found it difficult to fall asleep on the eve that Starlight was set to arrive. While Twilight and Trixie were at the train station picking up Starlight, Spike would be back home making sure everything was ready for when Starlight arrived. True, they had gotten a lot of work done the previous day, but Twilight insisted that they do one more inspection to make sure that the place was completely spotless. Besides which, Spike also had to prepare the table for lunch. There was very little doubt in anypony's mind that Starlight would be hungry after the long train ride from her old village to Ponyville.

Thankfully, Starlight wasn't expected to arrive in Ponyville until early in the afternoon, which meant that Trixie, Twilight, and Spike spent their morning making sure the kitchen was clean once they'd finished up breakfast. It had been a light meal, seeing as how they would be having quite a banquet for lunch. They had each had omelets, each with their own individual drink. While Twilight had drank coffee, Trixie had fixed herself a glass of milk, while Spike had drank a glass of orange juice. He sat quietly, eating his omelet and occasionally taking a sip of his drink, while Twilight and Trixie chatted excitedly about all of the things that they were going to do while Starlight was in town. Trixie was elated about showing Starlight some of her newest magic tricks that she'd perfected so that she could use them in her magic show. Twilight was the same; she was ecstatic about seeing any kind of magic trick that Starlight had learned while she'd been away, as well as hear up on how she was doing in her friendship studies.

The time for leaving for the train station finally arrived. Spike stood at the front entrance of the castle, waving goodbye to Trixie and Twilight as they made their way down the road. Once they were gone, he sighed and closed the door, thankful for the two of them being away for the time being. Figuring that there was nothing else he could do to improve the castle, he decided to retire to his bedroom to read some comics.

By the time Trixie and Twilight arrived back at the castle with Starlight, Spike was working on his third comic book. He actually jumped when he heard Twilight call out, "Spike! Come say hi to Starlight!" He stowed his comic away and made his way to the front entrance, where he spotted Trixie, Twilight, and Starlight all waiting for him, smiling.

"Hi, Spike," Starlight chirped, reaching out a hoof with a friendly smile. "How's my favorite dragon?"

Spike gave her a pleasant smile, shaking her hoof. "Starlight."

"Let's get your things upstairs to your bedroom." With her magic, Twilight grabbed a couple of Starlight's suitcases, her former student getting the rest with her magic, and began leading the way upstairs. "And I hope you're hungry, because once we're done putting your things away, we've got quite a hefty lunch to get through."

Starlight licked her lips at that. "Mm, great! I'm starved!" She followed Trixie and Twilight up the stairs, noticing Spike walking alongside her out of the corner of her eye. He walked ahead of her, walking between Twilight and Trixie.

"And here we are," Twilight announced once they'd made it to Starlight's room, pushing the door open and bowing, allowing Starlight to enter first.

"Wow," Starlight cried, looking around. "It's exactly how I left it."

"Mm-hmm," Twilight said.

Starlight bent down, taking a long whiff of her bed sheets. She beamed at Twilight and the others. "You even went through the trouble of washing my bed sheets for me?"

"Don't thank me," Twilight replied. She nodded her head towards Trixie. "Thank Trixie."

Trixie smiled and bowed. "It was the least Trixie could do for her best friend, after all."

Starlight gave the show mare a grateful smile. She ran up and hugged Trixie. "Thank you, Trixie."

"Think nothing of it, Starlight," Trixie replied, patting the unicorn's head. "It is what friends do, after all." She looked over at Twilight. "Or so I'm told."

The four of them went about unpacking Starlight's things and putting them up. Upon setting some pictures on her dresser, Starlight was surprised and elated to find that her mirror had been preserved. It looked as if it had even been recently cleaned; there wasn't a speck of dust or dirt on it. She could see her reflection so clearly. She smiled at herself. She noticed that the pictures that Twilight had added to them were still there. She turned to Twilight and Trixie. "Okay," she said, "I think that's everything. We can do whatever is left later. Right now, this pony needs some food in her belly. Now" – she looked around the room excitedly – "where's that lunch you were talking about, Twilight?"

Twilight giggled. "It's just downstairs in the kitchen. Come on." With a flick of her tail, she led the group back downstairs and to the kitchen. Starlight's jaw dropped open upon them entering, seeing the table decked out in all of her favorite dishes, the sight and smells emanating from the food making her mouth water.

They quickly seated themselves at the kitchen and proceeded to dig in. Almost immediately, Trixie and Starlight started talking about all things related to magic, with Twilight adding in her own two cents every once in a while. Spike, for the most part, remained silent, quietly eating his food. It wasn't until Trixie brought up the fact that both she and Spike would be competing in the Applewood Derby that Spike finally spoke up.

"You should come watch," Trixie suggested, smiling brightly. She nodded towards Twilight. "I know Twilight will be there."

"Wouldn't miss it," Twilight replied. "We'd be happy to have you with us. Speaking of which" – she looked over at Spike – "you guys have to get started on your cart."

"We will as soon as we settle on a name," Spike said.

"I told you, we're naming it The Mauve Storm," Trixie said.

Spike shook his head. "No, we're not. We're naming it The Dark Avenger."

Starlight chuckled. "I think arguing over the name is silly, if you ask me."

Spike nodded at that. "I suppose you're right.

"You never answered my question earlier, Spike," Starlight said. "How have you been?"

Spike took a drink, then set down his glass. "Fine. And you?"

"Things have been going great in my village. Sugar Belle has come a long way in her baking. I suppose I have Pinkie to thank for that. Baking with her seems to have rubbed off on me."

Twilight grinned. "Great. Maybe sometime this week you can make dessert."

"Sure," Starlight said, shrugging. "What would you like? I've gotten really good at this baking thing, so I can practically make you anything you want."

Trixie said, "Well, you know me, I love tea cakes, cinnamon nuts, apples, ice cream ––"

Starlight laughed. "Is there anything you don't love?"

"Being upstaged, having my soul sucked out of me by an evil amulet, that sort of thing." Both unicorns chuckled at that.

Starlight yawned and stretched her hooves. "As soon as this meal's over, I feel like taking a nap. That ride here really took a lot out of me."

"That sounds great," Spike said. "I think I'll take a nap too."

Starlight grinned at him. "Maybe tonight I could put you to bed, just like I used to when I lived here. You can even wear those blue footie pajamas that you like so much. You know, the dark blue ones with the stars and moons on them."

"Yeah, I always hated those," Spike said.

Starlight frowned. She turned to Twilight. "Didn't I get him those?"

Twilight thought for a moment and shook her head. "No, I think Luna might have gotten him those for Hearth's Warming Eve one year." She chuckled. "Leave it to Luna to get somepony something moon-related as a present."

"Could I be excused, please?" Spike asked. He got up from his seat.

"Is everything okay?" Twilight asked, her head turning to watch him as he started walking out of the room.

He turned back to her and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired, I guess. I think I'll go take that nap now." He yawned and stretched.

"Well, alright, then," Starlight said. "Sleep well!"

"Speaking of naps, I hope you don't mind me joining you," Trixie said to Starlight, nuzzling her cheek against Starlight's. "It'll be just like old times, whenever I would sleep over."

Twilight chuckled. "Just keep the noise level down, girls."

"We'll try, but we can't promise nothing," Trixie said.

"But, before you do that, Starlight," Twilight said, getting up from the table, "would you like to have some dessert?"

Starlight licked her lips. "You bet!"

"Spike and I made all of your favorites." Twilight started heading towards the kitchen. "Trixie, give me a hoof?"

Trixie rolled her eyes. "I suppose I could." She tossed down her napkin once she was done wiping her mouth, sneaking in a peck to Starlight's cheek just before she followed Twilight into the kitchen. She and Twilight returned moments later, levitating a pecan pie, cheesecake, and a bowl of banana pudding in their wake. They set them on the table.

Starlight licked her lips. "Mm, that looks great."

"Help yourself," Twilight offered, sitting down at the table once more, Trixie also returning to her seat beside Starlight.

"Don't mind if I do." Starlight levitated a piece of cheesecake onto her plate and immediately began digging in, while Trixie and Twilight busied themselves with eating a slice of pecan pie. "So," she went on between mouthfuls of dessert, "I was wondering about Spike."

"What about him?" Twilight asked.

"Well, he didn't talk that much. It's not like him." She shook her head. "I don't understand it." She took a drink of her beverage.

Twilight sighed. "I don't understand it either, Starlight. Did things end on a bad note just before you left?"

"No! Things between us were great! You should know, Twilight! We got along great!"

Twilight smiled. "I can attest to that. You two were always sleeping together."

Trixie recoiled. "Ew! Gross, Twilight!"

"Not like that, Trixie," Starlight and Twilight cried in unison.

"So you have no idea what's wrong with him?" Starlight asked Twilight.

"Don't take it personally, Starlight," Twilight advised. "He's probably just tired. I'm sure he'll be in a better mood when dinner rolls around."

"He usually perks up at dinnertime," Trixie said.

Starlight stuffed another bite of cheesecake into her mouth. "Well, let's not worry about that now. Why not try a little bit of everything?" And with that, she proceeded to pile a heaping amount of banana pudding onto her plate, along with a slice of pecan pie. She blushed upon seeing the surprised looks from Trixie and Twilight. "What can I say? I've missed Spike's cooking." She shoved a forkful of banana pudding into her mouth, grinning and letting out a pleased moan. "Wow! Try this, Trixie!" Without waiting to hear any objections from the mare, she popped another forkful of the pudding into Trixie's mouth, making the mare's entire face light up in delight.

"Whoa!" the show mare cried. With her magic, she grabbed her fork.

Starlight smacked it away. "I don't think so," she said playfully. "Get your own if you want some so bad."

"Fair enough," Trixie replied. She proceeded to do just that.

Spike pulled the covers up to his neck, sighing in content feeling his head falling onto the soft pillow beneath him. In his mind's eye, a brief memory made its presence known. He remembered being in this room along with Starlight, her standing on her hindhooves, holding him in her hooves, and playfully spinning him around, making whooshing noises with her mouth. She let go of him and he landed softly on his bed. It was at this point that a single sentence came to his attention.

" _Now you be a good boy, Spikey-wikey."_


	3. Diamond Tiara's Earliest Memory

Chapter 3

The next day saw Spike roaming around the streets of Ponyville. Back at home, Starlight, Trixie, and Twilight were engaging in a three-way magic duel. Thus, Spike had made a hasty escape from the castle for his own safety, in spite of the fact that the three had taken safety precautions beforehand so that nopony would get hurt. Still, it paid to be on the safe side, hence why Spike was walking around looking for something to do.

He decided to go to Sugarcube Corner. It was near lunchtime anyway and he was in the mood for something sweet to eat. There was already a queue forming outside the front door to Sugarcube Corner. He went ahead and took his place in line, holding tightly onto the sack of bits he'd brought along with him.

"Next!"

Stepping inside the confectionery Spike spotted Pinkie behind the counter. Upon meeting his gaze, she beamed and waved at him. "Hey, Spike," she said as he walked up to the counter. "What can I get you today? Turnover? Cake? Pie?"

"Could I get a strawberry turnover?" He reached inside his sack for a handful of bits. He deposited the correct amount onto the counter. In an instant, almost as if by magic itself, Pinkie was holding out a strawberry turnover for him. Grinning, he grabbed it, both of them thanking the other, before he walked off in search of an empty table. Scanning the area, he spotted Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon seated at a booth, both sipping at a chocolate milkshake while they pored through a magazine. Walking over, he cleared his throat to get their attention. Once he had it, he asked, "Hey, Diamond Tiara, can I ask you a question?"

The filly shrugged. "Shoot." She took a sip of her milkshake.

"What's your earliest memory?" He bit into his turnover.

Diamond Tiara gave the dragon an odd look. "That's a weird, random question."

Spike sighed and rolled his eyes. "Just answer the question." He swallowed his bite of food.

"Hmm, let's see . . ." Diamond Tiara pondered to herself for a moment or two. Then, she said, "I was four years old. I didn't invite Silver Spoon to my birthday party and she didn't talk to me for a year."

"I kind of regret that," Silver Spoon said, popping the cherry from her milkshake into her mouth. Spike nudged her.

"What about you?" he asked her.

"I was seven," Silver Spoon said, "and I'd signed up for the school talent show. Big day came. I went up on stage. And ended getting stage fright and peeing on myself." Her face turned red. "It was, like, so embarrassing." From across from her, Diamond Tiara could be heard laughing.

"It was hysterical," she cried.

"No, it wasn't," Silver Spoon cried.

Still laughing, Diamond Tiara playfully nudged Spike. "Oh, you should've been there, Spike. The look on her face!"

Silver Spoon glared. "You're one to talk, little miss I-can't-make-a-rabbit-disappear."

"At least I didn't pee myself on stage in front of everypony in Ponyville!"

"No, you just proved you suck at magic."

Her laughter dying down, Diamond Tiara turned to Spike. "Getting back on topic, why do you ask, Spike?"

Spike shook his head. "Anything after Starlight came into the picture is kind of foggy and hazy."

"Well . . . there was a lot that happened after she arrived in Ponyville," Diamond Tiara said. "That snowstorm in the Crystal Empire, that show with Trixie, spending Hearth's Warming Eve together, the Changeling scare in the Crystal Empire, not to mention Chrysalis coming back for revenge." She plucked her cherry off her own milkshake and popped it in her mouth. "Why are you bringing up Starlight Glimmer anyway? Is she back in town?"

"Only for a couple of days," Spike said, taking another bite of his treat.

"What happens then?" Silver Spoon asked, resting the crook of her foreleg on the table and pressing her hoof against her cheek.

Spike shrugged. "I don't know." He smiled. "Trixie seems to be happy that she's back."

"You know, Daddy managed to book her for one of my parties one year," Diamond Tiara said, smirking. "She was amazing!"

"That, she was," Silver Spoon agreed.

Spike eyed the magazine resting between the two fillies. "What were you guys looking at?"

"Just trying to decide which colors would go best for our carts," Diamond Tiara explained. "I hear you're competing in the Applewood Derby this year?"

"Yeah, me and Trixie," Spike said, nodding. "And you guys are going with your parents, I imagine?"

"I am," Silver Spoon said.

"I'm not," Diamond Tiara said. "Daddy has a business meeting in Fillydelphia and Mother wouldn't be caught dead doing one of these things. So, it looks like it's going to be me and Randolph again this year."

"And I bet he's helping you with your cart?" Spike tossed what was left of his treat into his mouth, quickly chewed it, and swallowed. Silver Spoon pushed her milkshake towards him and he gratefully took a drink.

"Well, duh," Diamond Tiara replied. "I mean, who else would be?"

"Maybe when me and Trixie get done with our cart, we can help you," Spike offered.

"Sure, why not? We could use the extra help."

"Sounds like a plan." Spike grinned. Hearing a bell jingle, he turned his head to see Starlight, Trixie, and Twilight walking in. He bid the fillies farewell, then walked over to the three mares. "Hey, you guys done already?"

"Yeah," Twilight said. "A three-way magic duel sure takes a lot out of you."

"Tell me about it," Trixie said with a groan, while Starlight giggled behind a hoof.

"Hey, Spike, why don't you join us?" Starlight asked.

"I was just about to head out and go back home," Spike said. "I just got done with my snack. Sorry, girls. I'll see you guys back at the castle."

"Okay, then." Twilight and the others watched him leave. She turned to Starlight. "Starlight, why don't you go ahead and find us a seat while me and Trixie order? I already know what you want."

Starlight shrugged. "Sure thing." She walked over to an empty table and sat down. Looking across from her, she noticed Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. She nodded at them and called, "Hey, cutie, what's your name?"

Diamond Tiara flicked back her mane and said, "I'm Diamond Tiara."

Starlight shook her head and nodded towards Silver Spoon. "I was talking about your friend."

Silver Spoon blinked and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Me?" Starlight nodded. "I'm Silver Spoon." Blushing, she began running her hooves through her pigtail.

"Starlight Glimmer," the unicorn said. "Pleasure to meet you both." She opened her mouth to say more, only to be caught off guard upon seeing Twilight and Trixie walking over with the food. She instantly began chatting with them as they dug into lunch.

Grinning, Silver Spoon turned to Diamond Tiara and said, "How weird was that?"

"I know, right?" Diamond Tiara replied, frowning. "For a moment, it was like I didn't even, like, exist." She downed the rest of her drink and slammed it down on the table, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Ready to go?"

Silver Spoon finished off her beverage as well and nodded. "Yep. Let's kick it!" With Diamond Tiara, she made her way out of Sugarcube Corner.

"And the fork goes over here . . ." Trixie mumbled to herself as she helped Spike set the table. She looked over at him. "Knife goes inwards, towards the plate, right?"

"Mm-hmm," Spike mumbled, setting down napkins at each individual seat.

Trixie grinned. "Great!" She finished setting the silverware out, then took a step back to observe the results. She smirked and crossed her hooves over her chest. "Looks good to me, wouldn't you say?" Spike looked over her shoulder at the results and nodded his head. "Of course, what else could you expect except perfection from the Great and Powerful Trixie!?"

Spike smiled, rolled his eyes, and shook his head. "So, how are things going between you and Starlight?"

Trixie grinned. "Things are going great. It's almost like she never left."

Spike sighed and looked down at the floor.

"Is everything okay?" Trixie asked, giving him a concerned look.

"I just wish I could remember how it was before."

Trixie chuckled. "How it was before," she echoed. "I remember you hogging all of her attention."

Spike looked up and blinked. "What?"

"Yep. Every time we would try to practice magic, you'd come in and she'd walk off with you to your bedroom to put you down for a nap, just to get you out of the way."

"She did?"

"Yeah." Trixie nodded. "But, things are different now, and you're not going to steal her away from me like you did before. Just keep avoiding her like you have been doing since she got here, and things between us will be peachy keen. I'd like to get in some more magic practice and I'd love to learn some new magic from Starlight, if that's okay with you."

Spike nodded. "Fine by me. You get Starlight all to yourself and she stays away from me."

Trixie sighed, casting a depressed look at the floor. "I'm not trying to be mean. I'd just like to spend as much time with Starlight as possible before she leaves again."

"Sounds good to me."

"Why do you hate her?"

"What?"

"Starlight. You seem to really hate her all of a sudden."

"What makes you say that."

"Well, you've been avoiding her since she got here."

"Trixie, I'd like to spend time with her. Really, I would. I just haven't gotten the chance yet."

"Then how about tomorrow?" a new voice asked. Spike spun around and Trixie looked up to see that Starlight, with Twilight right beside her, was walking in the room. She smiled down at Spike. "Why don't we go out for ice cream? Or we could go to the park and fly some kites?" She sat down at the table.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer to go fly kites," Trixie said, sitting down right beside Starlight.

Starlight giggled. "Trixie, we spent the whole day together." She rested a hoof on her chin and grinned at Spike. "I'd like to spend some time with Spike now."

"Yeah, sounds great," Spike replied, sitting down at the table beside Twilight.

"By the way, Trixie, I've got good news for you," Twilight spoke up. "Starlight managed to book you a show."

"Really?" Trixie looked at both unicorns in surprise.

"Yep, right after the Applewood Derby at three-fifteen," Starlight said. She smiled at Twilight. "I was thinking we could go out, have a picnic just before the big race."

"That sounds great!" Twilight beamed.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Spike asked. "I mean, with all of that racing ––"

"The race doesn't start until half past one," Twilight reminded him. "We can have lunch at noon. That should be more than enough time for your tummy to settle."

"Exactly!" Starlight agreed, nodding her head. "Now, Spike, if you don't mind, I think I'll toss your salad for you." She began mixing the salad in the bowl in front of her, smirking when Trixie laughed at her subtle joke. She dumped a heap of the stuff onto Spike's plate. "There you go."

"Thanks, Starlight." Spike grabbed his fork and started eating. He looked over at Twilight. "So, while Starlight and I are hanging out, what do you plan on doing, Twilight?"

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know yet."

"I think I'll go shopping," Trixie said. She glared at Starlight. "Since I'm not wanted anywhere else."

Starlight sighed. "Trixie, I told you, I want to spend some time with Spike. There will be plenty of time for us to hang out, just the two of us. I promise you."

Setting down her glass, Twilight said, "You know, I was thinking, wouldn't you like to go to the Crystal Empire sometime this week and see Sunburst?"

This caught Starlight's attention. She looked up at her former teacher and nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice." She licked some ranch dressing off her hoof. "And then maybe me and you can hang out sometime."

Twilight shrugged. "Sure, why not? Maybe we could all go to the spa together."

"I'm in," Trixie cried, lifting up a hoof.

"Me too," Starlight agreed, beaming.

"Spike, what about you?" Twilight asked.

Spike looked up at the three mares, his fork halfway to his mouth. He took a bite, then nodded his head. "Sure. I've been meaning to get my claws done anyway."

"Then it's settled," Twilight said. "We'll go as a group, sometime this week."

"Feel free to invite the rest of the girls if you want," Starlight suggested. "I'd love to spend some time with them too."

"You've got it," Twilight agreed. "Anything you want, Starlight. Whatever I can do to make your stay here more comfortable. All you have to do is ask."

"Then would it be all right if I put Spike to bed tonight?" Starlight asked. Her question earned her odd looks from Twilight, Trixie, and Spike. She blinked. "What?"

"That's a weird question," Trixie spoke up. "I mean, Spike's not a baby anymore. I'm sure he could put himself to bed."

"I know," Starlight said, "but I'm sure he wouldn't mind. It'll be just like old times."

"Actually, I do mind, thank you," Spike said.

"Okay," Starlight agreed. "I can take a hint. No means no." She threw back her head and downed what was left of her drink in her glass. She lowered her head, licking her lips as she set down her glass. "Is there any more cider?"

"I'll get it for you." Twilight started to get up.

"No need." With her magic, Starlight floated over the pitcher of cider, hitting Spike in the back of the head in the process. He winced in pain and rubbed the back of his head. She giggled. "Sorry, Spike."

"You did that on purpose," he said.

"I did not. It was a total accident."

"Yeah, I'll bet."

"Oh, stop being so childish, Spike," Twilight said. "Starlight apologized. There's no need to go accusing her." She levitated over a basket of bread sticks. "Bread stick?"

"Sure!" Both Trixie and Starlight grabbed one before Spike could. He grabbed two and set them on his plate while the two unicorns started munching on their own.

"Great as always, Spike," Starlight said.

"Thanks," Spike mumbled.

Starlight decided to take a bath after dinner. It didn't come as a surprise to either Spike or Twilight when Trixie decided to join her, and Starlight didn't object. The two of them stepped into the tub once it was full, letting out sighs of content, the hot water doing its job in relaxing them. Starlight was suddenly surprised when she felt a stream of water hit her in the face. Once it stopped, she looked up to find Trixie smirking at her. She frowned. "Aren't we getting a little old for these games?" Instead of answering her, Trixie decided to splash her. Starlight splashed her right back. Soon, a splash fight had ensued, with both mares giggling like a couple of fillies. The fight only stopped when Spike entered the room.

"Don't mind me," he said, walking over to the sink. "I'm just going to brush my teeth and then I'm going to bed." He proceeded to do just that. Before leaving, he noticed that the floor in front of the tub was soaking wet. "Be sure to clean that up before you go to bed." He stepped out into the hall and turned, heading down the hallway towards his bedroom.

Entering his bedroom, he stopped and stared at his bed. For a moment, he considered sleeping in it. After giving it some thought, however, he decided to grab a blanket and a pillow and camp out in his closet. He gently kicked some things aside, making room on the floor for him to sleep, then laid down, covering himself with his blanket and placing his head on his pillow. Once more, Starlight's voice echoed in his head.

" _Silly Spikey-wikey, you put your pajamas on backwards again. Now you be a good boy, Spikey-wikey, while Auntie Starlight fixes them for you."_

Spike woke up a few hours later. Seeing as how he was in a dark closet, he had no knowledge as to what time it was. Opening up his closet door, however, told him that it was morning. He yawned, stretched, and rubbed at his tired eyes before turning and walking out of his bedroom and going to the kitchen. He stopped when he noticed that Trixie was the only one seated at the kitchen table, sipping at her coffee. "Hey," he called out. She looked over at him. "Where's Twilight and Starlight?"

"Oh. They went out for donuts." She chuckled. "Who in Equestria goes to Canterlot just to get some donuts?"

"Well, Donut Joe's does have the best donuts around." He poured himself a glass of orange juice and sat down at the table.

She cocked her head to the side, giving him a questioning look. "Really?"

He nodded, taking a drink. "Mm-hmm. Maybe I could take you sometime. How come they didn't take you?"

"I slept in."

"Good for me, then, I guess. We can hang out, if you want. You hung out all day yesterday with Twilight and Starlight, now it's my turn."

Trixie sighed. "I suppose that's true. It's only fair, right?"

Spike nodded. "Right."

"So, what would you like to do? I've got some new magic tricks, if you'd care to take a look."

Spike shook his head. "No, thanks."

"Okay, well, what would you like to do?"

Spike shrugged. "I don't know yet, but I'll let you know when I do."

"You're impossible, you know that?"

"And that's why you love me." He smirked.

She blinked. "Good comeback, dragon."

"Well, I did learn from the best."

"Point taken."

Twilight and Starlight didn't get back home until late in the afternoon. Spike sat in his bedroom, looking through an old photo album, while Trixie had gone out to get some apple fritters. ("I've had a craving for them all day," she'd said.) She'd promised she'd bring Spike some if he really wanted any. Despite her offer to let him tag along, he had declined, saying that he'd like some time to himself.

Starlight went to the library to look up some spells she wanted to try. Twilight had advised her to make sure that the spells were tame, that they weren't too dangerous or life-threatening. As for Twilight, she decided to check in on Spike. She received no response from her knocking at his bedroom door, leaving her to gently open it and poke her head in to see whether or not he was asleep. She found him seated cross-legged on his bed, an open photo album in his lap. Smiling, she walked in and sat down beside him, looking at the photo album with him. She pointed to a picture showing Spike and Starlight smiling at the camera with cake frosting all over their muzzles. "I remember that. It was the first time we celebrated Starlight's birthday."

Spike looked up at her. "Did – did she and I get along when she was here?"

Twilight laughed heartily at that. "Are you kidding!? You two were crazy about each other! I couldn't keep you apart!" She rested a hoof on his back and gently rubbed. "It's great having her back home, isn't it? It's like we get a second chance to be a family again, to do things right this time. It was a mistake letting her go." She ceased talking for a moment or two, as if in thought, then she said, "I was thinking about asking her to permanently stay instead of going back to her old village. Would you be all right with her being around more?"

Spike turned a page in the photo album. He swallowed hard. "Sure."

Twilight bent down and kissed his head. "Thank you, Spike."

Both jumped as Trixie suddenly burst in the room, grinning, levitating a bag behind her. "I'm back," she announced in a sing-song manner. She levitated out a similar bag to the one she was carrying from her saddlebags and dumped it on Spike's bed. "Here are your apple fritters, Spike. Enjoy."

"Thanks, Trixie," Spike replied.

"What are you two up to?" Trixie asked, joining them on the bed.

"Just reliving some old memories," Twilight replied. She chuckled, spotting a picture of Trixie standing in the kitchen with something burnt resting on a plate, the mare sporting a nervous look. "You remember this, don't you, the first time Spike tried teaching you how to cook?"

Trixie blushed. "Don't remind Trixie."

"Like you're one to talk, Sparkle," Spike said, playfully nudging her. "She at least got better."

"That's true," Trixie said, "and now Trixie can make all of the sweets she wants."

"Just make sure you don't eat too many of them," Twilight warned. "Don't want you getting fat."

"You make that sound like a bad thing," Spike said, along with another voice. He looked over to see Starlight standing in the doorway.

"Something wrong, Starlight?" Twilight asked.

Starlight shook her head. "No."

Twilight nodded. "Okay. If you're not busy, would you mind helping me make dinner? There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Sure thing, Twilight," Starlight replied.

"Want me to come with?" Trixie offered.

Starlight shook her head. "No, thanks. I'd really like to be alone with Twilight right now, got some things I need to think about."

Trixie frowned and her ears drooped. "Oh, okay, then."

Starlight chuckled. "You know, Trixie, sometimes I think you like me a little too much." She blew each of them a kiss before walking out the door with Twilight.

Dinner was a quiet affair, at least for Spike. He ate his dinner as quickly as possible, then immediately afterward excused himself from the table, retreating to his bedroom once he'd deposited his plate in the sink, figuring that since Starlight and Twilight had cooked dinner, Trixie could do the dishes for the night, which would give him ample time to catch up on his reading. He was sudenly interrupted from it, however, when Starlight opened his door and peeked in. He met her eyes.

"Hey," she said. She cleared her throat. "Twilight told me that you were okay with me staying here on a permanent basis." She entered and smiled down at him, running a hoof down his face. "Thank you."

"Okay," Spike said.

"It means a lot to me." She sighed. "It feels so good being back here at home. It's like nothing's changed. Well, I'll get out of your way. Good night."

"Night," he called out as she left the room, and turned back to his book, only to look up once again when he heard it open once more.

"Hey, come on," Trixie said, motioning for him to follow her.

He blinked. "What? Where are we going?"

"Meeting at Sugarcube Corner. All of the Applewood Derby racers are getting together to discuss cart designs and draw up ideas for what the race track is gonna look like. Come on, Pinkie's serving snacks and drinks!"

Spike bookmarked his page and walked over to the door. "Alright, alright, let's go."

Sugarcube Corner was packed with ponies. Not only were the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Cheerilee there, but also, but not limited to, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Randolph, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Snips, Twist, Rumble, and Truffle Shuffle. Trixie and Spike entered just as the meeting was getting underway. Pinkie immediately bolted from the store's kitchen to offer them some snacks and drinks. Spike accepted a cupcake while Trixie asked for a stiff drink. To her displeasure, as well as that of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, the latter especially, Pinkie said that alcoholic beverages were not permitted during the meeting, for obvious reasons, leaving Trixie to settle for a soda. Spike immediately requested one as well, having eaten his cupcake by this point and it had made him quite thirsty. The two of them seated themselves at the table that the other fillies and colts were crowded around, the table laying waste to papers, sketches, lists, cupcakes, drinks, and crumpled up pieces of paper, likely ideas that had been turned down or decreed too complicated to do. Both Spike and Trixie guessed that these were ideas for the race track that they would be racing on, and, when they asked Applejack and the other grown-ups, they found that they were correct in drawing this conclusion, although Randolph added that some of the crumpled up pieces of paper were ideas for carts where the imaginations of the children were too imaginative, not that Cheerilee seemed to mind. She seemed to relish in the idea of the children using their brains and imagination to come up with such creative and wonderful ideas for carts of various kinds. Looking at them, Spike had to admit that they were nothing short of creative; even some of the rough sketches for the race tracks were quite imaginative.

The group worked long and hard into the night, more often than not shouting over each other, each filly or colt wanting to be heard, leaving it up to the adults to quieten them down so that each one could be heard individually. Eventually, it occurred to them that it would be best to have some kind of object that would permit whomever was wielding it to speak. At this point, Pinkie ran upstairs and returned with a rattle, apologizing due to the annoyed and disbelieving looks she received upon doing so, saying that it was the only thing she could find and the best that she could do. Despite the juvenile nature of the toy, they agreed to it. Even some of the children, such as Diamond Tiara, agreed with the adults that it was hardly appropriate, but ended up using it anyway. Some of the children, such as Silver Spoon, didn't seem to mind the toy whatsoever, and spent a majority of their time shaking it while they were holding it, earning odd looks and questioning stares from the others in the room. Thankfully, the noise of the rattle made so much noise that it was hard for the others to hear when its holder was speaking, which meant that a new rule was issued, that of course being that no shaking of the rattle would be permitted while its holder was speaking.

Little by little, the group disbanded, bidding farewell to their friends while they made their exit. Naturally, the children were the first to go, their bedtimes drawing nearer and nearer as the night wore on, leaving only a small portion of the adults left in the room. Some of the adults, once they had seen that their children had gotten home safely, returned to further discuss their ideas for the carts and the track, those being Randolph, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Cheerilee, among others. It was at this point that Pinkie found it appropriate to whip out the more age-appropriate drinks, and soon the adults, sans Spike who just stuck with soda, were downing shot after shot of alcoholic beverage one right after the other. Unbeknownst to the others, Spike would occasionally slip some of these alcoholic beverages into his glass of soda when nopony was looking.

"So it's agreed," Cheerilee spoke up as the meeting drew to a close. "The track will start in the Ponyville square, go through the Everfree Forest, through Whitetail Woods, and finally the finish line will be right back where the race started. Does that sound good to everypony?"

"Yep," the others agreed.

"Sounds good to me," Applejack said.

"I bet all of Ponyville will be watching," Rarity said, flicking back her mane with a hoof.

Spike swiped Applejack's flask of whiskey from her saddlebag and poured some of it into his glass of soda. "Yep," he said. "Not to mention Twilight and Starlight."

"Starlight?" Applejack looked over at him. "She's back in town?"

"Mm-hmm," Spike said. "Good ol' Starlight." He hiccuped. "And she's here to stay. Isn't that something?" As he threw his hands in the air, his arm knocked over his glass, spilling its contents onto the floor. He burst out laughing.

"Okay," Trixie said with a sigh. "You're drunk. Come on, time to take you home."

"I'd be happy to take him home," Cheerilee offered.

Trixie shook her head. "No, you stay. It's your meeting. Besides, the meeting's almost over anyway and it's getting late."

"Trixie's right," Applejack said with a nod of her head. "We'd all best be gettin' home."

Rainbow Dash yawned and stretched. "I hear that."

Cheerilee said, "Well, I guess that's all the work we're going to get through tonight."

"Hey, don't let it get you down," Rainbow Dash said, lightly punching Cheerilee in the side. "We kicked butt tonight. We got a lot done."

"We certainly did," Rarity said, "but I'm afraid Applejack is right. Some of us have got to get home and get our beauty sleep."

"Well, let's hop to it, y'all." As she made her way to the front entrance along with the others, Applejack called over her shoulder, "Sleep tight, Pinkie Pie! Thanks for havin' us over!"

"Not a problem, Applejack," Pinkie called back from the kitchen.

With Spike slung over her back, Trixie entered Twilight's castle. Walking in the living room, she plopped down on the floor, allowing Spike to slide down her back. She looked over to see Starlight and Twilight seated at couch, both drinking from a couple of wine glasses and reading what appeared to be a romance novel, judging by the saucy cover. Looking closer, Trixie could just make out the title and author: _The Quickie_ by James Trotterton, one of Twilight's favorite authors.

Rolling over onto his stomach and pushing himself up onto his feet, Spike swayed for a moment or two before laying eyes on the two unicorns in front of him. "Hey, h-how's it going?"

Twilight eyed him carefully, paying close attention to his eyes. She gaped and turned her head to look at Trixie. "Has he been drinking?"

"Yeah," Trixie said, nodding. "He's, uh . . . he's a mess. I'm going to bed."

"Thanks for making sure he got home safely," Twilight called as the unicorn walked out of the room.

"You're welcome," Trixie called back.

"Wow, you two are mad at me instead of each other for a change," Spike spoke up. "That's a nice change of pace."

"Shut up, Spike," both Trixie and Twilight barked.

"Well, I don't really know how to feel about this," Starlight said.

"Surprise and disappointment should suffice," Twilight added. She sighed and shook her head. "I can't deal with this right now," she told Spike. "Just . . . go to bed."

"We'll discuss your punishment in the morning," Starlight said.

Spike turned to walk out the door, only to turn around and say, with a smirk, "Thanks for coming to visit, Starlight."

Twilight let out an annoyed sigh and snapped, "Spike! Bed! Now!"

"I'm going, I'm going," Spike mumbled, walking out of the room. He turned to walk down the hall, then stopped, pressing himself against the wall upon hearing Twilight talking with Starlight.

"I'm sorry," Twilight said. "It's usually Trixie who he's mad at. She's usually the one getting under his skin."

Starlight sighed. "You don't think he's still mad at me, do you?" She turned to her former mentor. "Did he ever tell you why?"

"Starlight, the two of you were very close when you were here, and then you just up and left without so much as a goodbye. It's bound to leave some scars."

Sighing, Spike turned and continued to walk down the hallway towards his bedroom.


	4. Memories Resurfaced

Chapter 4

Spike woke up with a start upon seeing Starlight staring down at him. Rubbing at his eyes, he glared up at her and barked, "What in Celestia's name are you doing!?"

"Watching you sleep, cutie pie," Starlight replied, grinning. "Come on! Let's go! Twilight's already got breakfast on the table."

Spike blinked. "Twilight cooked?"

Starlight sputtered her lips and waved a hoof. "Oh, don't be ridiculous. Of course not. I assisted Trixie with the cooking this morning. Now come on, I'm starved!"

Sighing, Spike got out of bed and followed Starlight out the bedroom door.

"So what would you like to do today, Spike?" Starlight asked as the two of them walked down the streets of Ponyville. "We've got the whole day to ourselves."

Spike shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, we could go to the park, go to Sugarcube Corner, have lunch at Barnyard Pete's ––"

"We just ate! Literally, we just got done eating breakfast! You had a huge stack of pancakes, how are you still hungry?"

"Nopony ever said you only had to eat three meals a day, Spike."

"Whatever. You know, now that I think of it, there is a play that I've been wanting to see down at the local theater."

"Great, let's go!"

Starlight and Spike weren't the only ones in the theater when they arrived. It seemed as if the children from the local schoolhouse were on some kind of field trip. The youngsters took up a majority of the seats in the house, but there were quite a few full-grown ponies to be found among the many faces as well. Spike spotted the Cutie Mark Crusaders amongst the crowd and decided to join them, giving a friendly wave to Miss Cheerilee, who gave him a a smile and a friendly nod in kind. This, of course, left Starlight by her lonesome. She didn't seem to particularly mind. In fact, based on how he had been acting around her as of late, she had, on their way to the theater, pretty much predicted that Spike would stray from her as soon as they entered the theater. Thankfully, this gave her the perfect opportunity to look for a familiar face in the crowd, and, after scanning for a moment or two, she finally found it, or rather, them.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sat amongst their classmates, the two of them chatting with each other while they waited for the play to begin. Starlight smiled to herself. While their names slipped her mind, she was still able to recognize their faces. Who could forget that cute little braid, those geeky little glasses, that curly, two-toned tail? Without missing a beat, she stood up and strode over to the pair. It took them a moment to realize that they weren't alone, the shadow falling over them when she approached being a pretty good indicator of this fact. Upon their gazes meeting each other's, she very politely asked if it would be okay if she joined them. They turned to each other, silently discussing it in hushed tones, before turning back to her and nodding their heads, and she promptly sat down next to Silver Spoon, using her rear end to gently nudge Pipsqueak aside, her tail beating against the side of his head in the process. If the colt didn't know any better, he'd swear that the mare was shaking her behind in his face on purpose. Nonetheless, he moved aside, being grateful for the closeness that being by Rumble, Button Mash, Chowder, and Featherweight provided him, and the five colts quickly got into a heated debate regarding which of the Cutie Mark Crusaders was the best kisser. Starlight's ear twitched as she caught snippets of the conversation here and there, but otherwise kept her attention fixed on the stage in front of her, but she mostly kept her eyes on Silver Spoon, and Diamond Tiara, both of whom had once again started up their conversation, almost as if the mare wasn't there.

The lights dimmed. The curtain was raised. The audience applauded as the stage lights came on, and a tan pony with a dark brown mane and tail stepped out onto the stage. . . .

The play itself, more or less, was a love story regarding a same-sex couple, one that many of the fillies and other females in the audience found quite engaging and interesting, whereas a majority of the males didn't find quite as entertaining as the females. Every time the couple would kiss, hug, cuddle, or tell each other how much they loved the other, all of the females in the room would let out a collective, "Awww", whereas the males would either retch or verbalize their disgust. Starlight couldn't help but feel that, had the roles been reversed – that is to say, had the play been about two lesbians in love – the reactions themselves would have been reversed – the females would be disgusted and the males would have been getting cum all over the floor. This mental image in her mind's eye caused Starlight's loins to be set ablaze, and she had to stifle a moan by way of biting her lower lip. Throughout the entirety of the performance, her hoof had been constantly slipping over to rest on Silver Spoon's thigh, and the filly would, in quite the aggravated manner, roughly shove her hoof off. That was where Starlight's hoof was when her vulva was set on fire, and she gave the filly's thigh a tight squeeze to steady herself. This action proved to be quite the undesired one on Silver Spoon's end, as the filly angrily smacked her hoof. Starlight bit down on her free hoof to hold in the yelp of pain she wanted to release.

At long last, the play itself came to a close, and the audience, though it was mostly the females, jumped to their hooves and stomped their hooves in applause. Looking around, however, Starlight noticed that a decent-sized portion of the males in the room were clapping quite enthusiastically. Looking over, she saw that Spike was one of them, standing alongside the Cutie Mark Crusaders as the four friends cheered, whooped, whistled, and applauded while the actors and actresses took their bows one by one. Each subsequent bow from a performer resulted in the applause and cheers growing ever louder, until the applause itself was quite deafening. This mattered little to the audience, nor did it matter in the slightest to the actors up on stage themselves, as they relished in the praise before retreating backstage to take off their costumes and congratulate each other on a job well done. This left the audience with nothing to do but depart from the theater to head home.

Almost as soon as the room was empty, Silver Spoon turned to Starlight and hissed, "What was with you? You had your hoof on my thigh the entire time?"

"Oh, sorry about that." Starlight smiled and patted the filly on the head. "I just really had to use the bathroom. I'll tell you what. Let me go use the restroom really quick and then I'll walk you girls home."

The two fillies looked at each other, unsure of whether or not to accept the mare's offer. They shrugged their shoulders and nodded their heads at her. She beamed and exclaimed, "Great!" before turning and trotting out of the room, down the hall, and towards the ladies' restroom, leaving the two fillies by themselves.

Diamond Tiara turned to Silver Spoon. With a raised eyebrow, she asked, "Bail?"

Silver Spoon nodded her head. "Bail!" She scooted behind her friend and began pushing her towards the door. "Come on, let's get out of here! Quick, before she comes back!"

"I heard that!"

"Okay, girls, are you ready to ––" Starlight halted in mid-step, her sentence being cut off as she observed that she was the only one in the auditorium. She frowned to herself, turning slowly and walking in a sulking manner out of the room. Briefly, she wondered where Spike was, but didn't see any sign of him while she made her way out of the theater. By now, Miss Cheerilee and the rest of the class had gone home, it being late in the afternoon. Using her hoof as a visor, she scanned the area for any sign of Spike, but still came up empty. She sighed to herself, all the while wondering, _Now what?_ Shrugging her shoulders, she figured she might as well head on home. Perhaps Trixie and Twilight could provide her with some entertainment. Even as this thought entered her head, her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and she hoped that she would get to see them again sometime soon. They were awfully cute fillies for their age, after all, especially that Silver Spoon, and she would be delighted to spend some time with them.

As soon as he was out of sight of Starlight Glimmer, Spike hightailed it back to the castle and stayed in his room for the remainder of the day. He was just lucky that he'd been able to conceal himself within the throng of fillies and colts while they had made their way out of the auditorium. Once he was safely outside, he was home free to do as he wished. It wasn't until dinnertime that he ventured out of his room, if only due to his own hunger. He smelled no food being cooked, heard no dishes being washed, nor heard the rattle of pots and pans, like he usually did on a normal evening. Looking into the kitchen, he didn't see Starlight, Trixie, or even Twilight. He blinked, wondering where in Equestria they might be.

Walking in the living room, he spotted Trixie on the couch, lounging on her belly while she busied herself with reading a book on advanced magic spells. She spotted him out of the corner of her eye and a smirk grew on her face. "Trixie has her first show in six months. You remember, right? Trixie is performing a show after the Applewood Derby." She waved her hoof. "Go on, be impressed by me."

"Where are Starlight and Twilight?" Spike asked.

Trixie frowned. "'Oh, that's great, Trixie. I'm so happy for you.'"

"Trixie, I'm happy for you. Really, I am. Now could you please answer my question?"

"They went out."

"Really? Did they say when they were going to be back?"

"No, they didn't. They went to go see a play in Canterlot, one written by the great William Neighspeare."

Spike breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you, sweet, merciful Celestia."

Trixie glowered at him and hopped down to the floor. "Alright, dragon, what's with you lately?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been in a really pissy mood ever since Starlight showed up here. What is going on!?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out!"

Trixie growled and stomped a hoof. "Why can't you just be happy for me, be happy for Twilight!? She's happy now that Starlight's back! I'm happy now that Starlight's back! You're the only one of us who isn't happy with her being here! Why!?"

Spike didn't answer. He looked down at the floor.

Trixie spat on the floor. "You don't remember a thing that happened when Starlight was here!? Well, I do! I remember you talking trash aboud Starlight and ––"

"Well, what did I used to say!?" Spike cried in exasperation.

"Just stop!" She shook her head. "You were always stealing Starlight's attention away from me! Always! I hated it then and I hate it now! You and your damn backwards pajamas!"

Spike's jaw dropped open, his eyes widened. "Oh, my . . ." he muttered under his breath. "Oh, my . . ." He quickly turned and darted out of the room.

"Now where are you going!?" Trixie called after him.

"I'm crashing at Applejack's! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Spike wandered aimlessly among the streets of Ponyville, going down alleyways, going through backyards, climbing over fences, walking between the various buildings. Though he wasn't sure how, his wandering eventually led him to Sweet Apple Acres, despite the fact that he hadn't actually planned on going there. Him saying that he would be crashing at Applejack's had just been an excuse to get Trixie off his back. Where he was wasn't on his mind anyhow.

" _You and your damn backwards pajamas!"_

" _Silly Spikey-wikey, you put your pajamas on backwards again. Now you be a good boy, Spikey-wikey, while Auntie Starlight fixes them for you."_

He stumbled across the barn in his mindless wandering. Over to his right, out of the corner of his eye, he could see the farmhouse that the Apple family occupied. All of the lights in the house were off. No doubt the Apples were fast asleep by now. They weren't exactly sound sleepers. Even so, surely they wouldn't mind if he spent the night. After all, Applejack and the other Apples had made it clear that he was welcome over at Sweet Apple Acres anytime he felt like it.

There was no shortage of hay within the barn, Spike discovered as he walked in. He imagined that hay wasn't exactly comfortable, that it didn't make for an ideal bed, but he would have to make due with what he had. He wasn't about to knock on Applejack's door in the middle of the night and ask if he could sleep with her. Not that he didn't think she would object, mind you, but he didn't feel like waking her up. What time was it, anyway? He wasn't entirely sure, but he hardly cared at the moment. There was little doubt in his mind that both Twilight and Starlight, despite his actions the previous evening, would be worried about him when they came home to find that only Trixie was home. Surely she would inform them as to where he had gone, so there would be no need for either of them to worry. They could rest soundly knowing that he was safe at Sweet Apple Acres while in Applejack's care.

As he climbed onto the nearest pile of hay he could find, he suddenly found himself wishing that he had a blanket. It was warm out, it being summer after all, but, still, a blanket would be comforting nonetheless. Sighing, he rolled over onto his side, drawing his legs up to his chest, his tail curling between them, and he instinctively grabbed at the pointed tip and hugged it, giving it a gentle squeeze, all while the words of Trixie and Starlight reverberated in his head.

" _You and your damn backwards pajamas!"_

" _Silly Spikey-wikey, you put your pajamas on backwards again. Now you be a good boy, Spikey-wikey, while Auntie Starlight fixes them for you."_

He fell asleep with these words echoing in his head over and over again. It made for a very restless night.

Eventually, sleep did find Spike, but all too soon, it was morning, and Spike found himself being gently poked at by an insistent hoof. Upon awakening, his first instinct was to tell the intruder to buzz off. Why couldn't Trixie just leave him alone and let him sleep in for once? But then, suddenly, he recollected that he wasn't at home in his nice, warm bed. He wasn't at Twilight's castle. And the hoof that was poking him certainly wasn't Trixie's. He didn't recall Trixie's hoof having so much muscle. Slowly, his eyes opened, and he soon realized just why his body itched so much. He ever so slowly turned his head in the direction of the hoof that had thankfully stopped poking at him. There stood Applejack, giving him a concerned look. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Looking out the barn window, he was taken aback to realize that the sun was just beginning its ascent into the sky. He could just barely make out the sun over the hills that occupied Sweet Apple Acres.

"Spike, honey, what are ya doin' way out here? Is everything okay?"

Hearing Applejack's voice brought his attention back to her. She still had that concerned look on her face. He yawned and stretched. Once more, he rubbed at a tired eye as he asked, "What time is it?"

"Five thirty in the mornin'," Applejack replied.

"Ugh! It's too early."

"Ah'm sorry, sugarcube. Ah was just checkin' on the cows when Ah noticed ya."

Hearing a slurp, Spike looked down to see that Applejack was holding a coffee mug, from which she was drinking her coffee. While he had never been much for coffee, the sweet scent and the warmth it provided suddenly stirred within him an impulse to have some, so much so that he started reaching for it without even realizing it.

Applejack laughed. "Hold on there, sugarcube. If ya want some coffee, yer gonna have to get yer own." She motioned for him to follow her. "Come on inside and get yerself some breakfast." She started walking towards the barn door.

As if on cue, Spike's stomach gave a mighty growl, prompting him to jump to his feet and follow Applejack out the barn door. She thankfully didn't ask him any questions as the two made their trek from the barn to the farmhouse, which, given their proximity to each other, didn't take long at all. Even so, it felt like a long time to Spike, as his mind was still full, recalling the argument he had had with Trixie just before he had hightailed it out of there, and her voice, along with that of Starlight's, that had plagued his mind long into the night. Even Applejack's bobbing tail, which swung back and forth in time with the movement of her hips, wasn't enough to distract him. He kept his gaze directed towards anywhere besides Applejack's rear end. Not that he would have noticed it anyway, as his mind wouldn't shut up. Perhaps it would have benefited Spike to keep his eyes locked on Applejack's rump, for as she came to a stop to open the front door with her free hoof, he ended up bumping into her. She seemed to not notice as she stepped to the side and gestured for him to go in, giving him the honor of entering before her.

It was funny. Despite all the multiple times he had been over at Sweet Apple Acres, Spike had ventured inside the Apple family abode only once in his lifetime, so he naturally took a moment to stop and observe upon entering the house. The kitchen was just to his left, the living room just to his right, while the parlor that housed the stairs were just in front of him. He turned his head, hearing the sounds of Applejack's hoofbeats, and he didn't hesitate to follow her inside the kitchen. Stationed at the stove was Big Mac, busily flipping some flapjacks on a pan over the stove. The coffeemaker rested on the counter a few feet to the right of the stallion.

"Go on and fix ya a cup of coffee if ya want, sugarcube," Applejack said, smiling at Spike. "No need to be shy, just go on and make yerself at home." She proceeded to get a mug down for him, followed by plates and glasses, and went about setting the table so the rest of the family could eat.

"Thanks," Spike said, seizing the mug that had been laid out for him and proceeding to fix himself some coffee. Before he could say anything, Applejack had already set out a jug of milk and a canister that held at least a full gallon of sugar beside him. He gave her a grateful smile, busying himself with pouring in as much milk and sugar as he desired into his mug.

"Mornin', Spike," Big Mac said, giving the dragon a nod. "What brings you around here?"

"I'd . . . rather not talk about it," Spike said, loud enough for Applejack to hear.

"Well, that's just fine," Applejack said, patting Spike on the back, causing him to spill some of his coffee down his front, as she had done so while he'd been busy taking a sip of the stuff. "Oh, sorry."

Coughing, Spike set the full mug down on the counter and used a dish towel to wipe himself clean. Once he'd gotten his coughing under control, he said, "It's fine, no harm done."

"Breakfast is just about ready," Big Mac announced. To Spike, he added, "Yer more than welcome to join us if you'd like." He started putting the pancakes on a plate and carrying them over to the table, where Applejack was currently sitting, still drinking her own coffee.

Spike's eyes followed him. "Are you sure?" he asked. "I wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense," Applejack cried, slamming down her mug, sounding as if she'd been personally offended by the very notion. "We're friends, and that makes ya family, sugarcube."

"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed with a nod of his head.

"Big Mac, why don't ya go on up and get Apple Bloom and Granny Smith?" Applejack suggested.

"Eeyup." Big Mac started headed up the stairs.

Now it was just Spike and Applejack left in the room. Spike grabbed his coffee mug and took little sips here and there, keeping his eyes focused on the floor. Just as long as his eyes weren't focused on Applejack, that meant that he didn't have to talk to her, which meant that he wouldn't have to explain why she'd found him in her barn.

Clearing her throat, Applejack said, "So, Spike, everything going okay at home?" He nodded, taking a large drink of his coffee. "Are ya gettin' along with Trixie and Starlight?" He nodded again, and she smiled. "Well, that's good. Ah don't mean to pry, sugar, but are ya sure there's nothin' ya wanna talk to me about?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," he replied.

"Are ya sure? Ya look like ya have something on yer mind."

He shook his head. "No, I'm just thinking up ideas for my cart."

"Ah, right, the Applewood Derby." If possible, her smile widened. "It's nice that y'all are competin' with Trixie this year. Apple Bloom and all o' 'er friends are real excited about it, too. They've been workin' up a storm on their carts since the race was first announced. It's sure to be one heck of a good race this year. Speakin' of which, how's yer cart comin' along?"

"We haven't gotten started yet," he said. "With Starlight being back, Trixie and me have been kind of distracted."

Applejack chuckled. "Yeah, it figures y'all would be. Y'all haven't seen hide or tail of Starlight since she left last year, have ya?" He shook his head. "But y'all have been keepin' in touch by writin' each other letters, haven't ya?"

"Twilight has, not so sure about Trixie."

Applejack titled her head at that. "Really? Ah figured those two would be writin' each other letters back and forth."

"Trixie's been busy with her magic act."

"Oh. Well, Ah guess that makes sense. So" – she sighed – "are ya sure there's nothin' else ya wanna talk to me about?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Nothin' at all?"

"Yep."

"Nothin' on yer mind?"

"Nope."

"Well, alright, then. Just for the record, if there was somethin' goin' on, y'all would tell me, right?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Spike, yer a terrible liar. Ya say there's nothin' ya wanna talk about, but there's clearly somethin' botherin' ya."

"How do you know?" He took another sip of his coffee, holding it tightly in his claws.

"Yer eyes gave ya away. Yer mouth says one thing, yer eyes say a totally different thing. Ya look like yer about to cry."

"I . . ." There was suddenly a large lump in Spike's throat, and his chest ached.

"Is this about Trixie? Ah know y'all don't always see eye to eye, but she's not a bad pony. Just 'cause she made a coupla mistakes don't mean she's a bad pony. She's got a good heart, ya know."

"Yeah, I know."

Applejack leaped down from her seat and walked over to him, sitting back on her haunches as she placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder, and fixed him with a worried look. "Sugarcube, y'all can talk to me about anythin'. Ah won't get mad. Now come on, what's botherin' ya? Does it have somethin' to do with Starlight? Y'al have been actin' weird ever since she first showed up."

At the very mention of Starlight, Spike felt his body tense up, an action that doubtfully went unnoticed by Applejack. Even as she did notice, she didn't say anything. "It's nothing, Applejack, really."

Applejack fixed him with a skeptical look, but nonetheless dropped the subject. Sighing, she said, "Well, alright, then. If ya don't wanna talk about it, ya don't have to." Sitting up and turning, she started walking back over to her seat, looking at him over her shoulder as she said, "But when yer ready to talk, just remember that Ah'm always here to lend an ear if ya need to talk to somepony." She hopped back up onto her seat and took a sip of her coffee, licking her lips.

Spike gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you, Applejack."

Breakfast went by uneventfully for Spike. While Apple Bloom talked about the plans she had with her friends during the day, Applejack and Big Mac talked about their own plans, deciding who would do what. Big Mac decided to take up apple bucking for the day while Applejack handled the market. Throughout their conversation, Applejack kept casting a worried glance over at Spike, who was busy talking with Apple Bloom, the filly attempting to talk the dragon into joining her and her friends on their plans. The dragon politely declined, saying that the idea sounded fun, but that he really needed to get to work on making his cart for the Applewood Derby. Despite his cheerful demeanor, Applejack couldn't nudge away the thought that there was something bothering the drake. It seemed as if even Granny Smith had caught onto this fact, as she too was giving Spike a concerned look, and the two Apples shared a worried look with each other before Granny Smith politely dismissed herself from the table to finish work on a quilt she'd been working on.

Seeing as how Big Mac had prepared breakfast, it was Applejack's turn to wash dishes before heading out. Spike and Apple Bloom offered to help, but she declined, telling them that they could head on out to do what they wanted while she busied cleaning the kitchen. While Apple Bloom headed off to the clubhouse where she held her Cutie Mark Crusaders meetings with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, Spike was left heading towards the entrance, intent on heading back to home.

Upon getting home, Spike grabbed his diary and a quill. Dipping the quill in his inkwell, he wrote:

 _I think I might be gay. What do I do?_


End file.
